Hey there!

Happy Friday to ya, once again! Is it just me, or are these summer weekends flying by? I can’t believe we’re at the end of July already! Since last weekend was pretty busy, I plan to take tomorrow easy after I get my long run out of the way. There are some adventures in the works for Sunday provided the weather stays sunny, but I’ll tell you more about those next week!

Now over to Fit Bit Friday… I’ve got a new monthly challenge to announce!

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Work It Out

For those of you that participated in my July No-Crunch Core Challenge, according to the schedule, today is probably your last day. I don’t know about you, but I found that having the workout written and in my gym bag all month helped me to stick to it and get ‘er done without making excuses. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I’ve decided to whip up another program for August!

August Summer Sizzler Challenge

Yes that’s right! We’ll be getting hot and schweaty this month too, with some fabulous circuits that I’ve been testing out recently. Although summer days are nice and long, I’m sure you don’t want to have to spend hours doing cardio then weights, or vice versa. So to appease your busy gal (or guy) lifestyle, Fit Bit Fridays in August will feature workouts that combine cardio and strength in a single hit. You’ll need a little more equipment this time than in the July No-Crunch Core Challenge, but many items can easily be swapped. This first workout is coming at ya a little early since it isn’t quite August yet, but consider it a bonus. There will be 5 parts to this challenge, and all will be posted on the fancy new August Summer Sizzler Challenge page. (This will soon be located in the top menu navigation under ‘Workouts’.)

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August Summer Sizzler Challenge (Part 1)

Unlike all of the other Fit Bit Friday routines that I create myself, this one was inspired by a co-worker who challenged me to a Men’s Health workout that he’d recently tried. It goes by the name of Spartacus, and there are 10 exercises in total.

Here’s the deal: Do each exercise in this routine for 1 minute. After you’ve finished the first move, take 15s rest before moving on to the next. Continue in this pattern (1 minute of work, 15s of rest) until you get to the last move, the overhead dumbell push-press. Take 2 minutes rest, then repeat the whole thing from the top…. twice, for a total of 3 sets ;)

Since you’ll be getting a new workout next Friday, aim to do this circuit on two non-consecutive days over the coming week. On your first day, do the 10 exercises twice through, and on your second day, aim for 3 times through. The goal is to try to do as many reps as you can of each exercise in one minute, but make sure they’re quality reps! If you need to, take a 5-10s rest, then keep going.

I’ve provided a few notes below next to each exercise, but their names are very intuitive. Some of mine are slightly different from the Men’s Health version, but if you’re looking for more details, you can check out the specifics here.

Click here to print the PDF.

Goblet squat – hold a kettlebell or a heavy dumbell with two hands.

Mountain climber – as fast as you can. Get your heart rate up!

Single arm dumbell/kettlebell swing – I like to use kettlebells for this move, but either works. I also like to switch hands in each swing because I find that it keeps my core working harder. The move is a fluid squat-and-swing motion, with the switch from hand-to-hand happening at the top of the squat in mid-air. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, don’t worry! There’s a good video here.

T-pushup – To make this easier, do the push-ups and rotate without the dumbells. To make it harder, use heavier dumbells.

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Split jump – Also known as jumping lunges. If you don’t like this or have knee issues, feel free to just do fast alternating lunges.

Standing dumbell row – just like this, but without the resistance band under your feet. (Well, you could use one if you really want to, but it’s not necessary.)

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Dumbell side lunge – Alternate lunging from side to side, holding dumbells in each hand. You can hold them low (near your feet) or with bent elbows near your shoulders.

Renegade row - This move is easier if you have your feet wider apart. It looks like this:

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Dumbell lunge with rotation - Very simple: Lunge forward with one leg, holding a single dumbell with both hands. As you lower into the lunge, rotate your torso and the dumbell to the same side of the leg that is forward. Reverse and repeat on the other side.

Dumbell overhead push-press – Take a slightly wider-than-shoulder-width stance and be sure to use your legs to help you push the weights up.

You will very likely feel a burn on this one!!

Turn It Up

Today’s tune is one I heard on XM Radio a few weeks ago on the way to work and it has been stuck in my head a lot lately! I’ve always been a fan of Pink (both the colour and the artist) and it appears she has released yet another workout-suitable jam, Blow Me One Last Kiss. I can’t find a video that has the swears bleeped out, so unfortunately there’s not a whole lot to see in this one. The song however, is still really good and worth listening to!

Have A Read

  • How to think like an Olympian - via Huffington Post Blogs
  • This week, I couldn’t help but tell you guys about one of my fellow Fitfluential Ambassadors, Carla, otherwise known as MizFit. Carla is a 43 year old mom and blogger, but that’s SO not all. She lost 35lbs through weight lifting, and encourages her readers to do as she does: stand out instead of always trying to fit in. Her dedication to fitness and her family reflects the type of mother I hope to be one day. It’s been a busy month for Carla – she just celebrated a birthday AND was recently featured here, as ‘That Girl’ over at Blisstree.com. Check her out and prepare to be inspired!

And finally, tell me…

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